We want to see a more socially enterprising economy that helps to create a more equal world with zero poverty, and zero carbon emissions. To help Plymouth become the greenest, fairest, most inclusive city in the UK we need social enterprises to be at the heart. So at the Plymouth Growth Board last week we gave an update on progress towards this more inclusive economy in the city.
The purpose of the Inclusive Growth work is: ‘to grow a prosperous economy that reduces inequality, is sustainable and truly serves the wellbeing of local people’. The principle is that people in work should not be on benefits or going to food banks in one of the richest countries in the world and that economic prosperity needs to benefit all and specifically reduce the wage gap between the richest and poorest. It feels to us that the glass is half full. There is some good news – over the last few years the wage gap between the richest 20% and the lowest earners has reduced. However, people in Plymouth still earn 89% of the UK average. Also, women are still paid less than men. There are more jobs and businesses in the city, but we still rank poorly for business start up and have high levels of ‘economic inactivity’.
We highlighted some of the positive work that has happened recently like nearly 300 sign-ups to the Plymouth Charter (many of them our members); national and international interest in our work; some award winning examples of inclusive and sustainable practice and the fact the inclusive growth is mentioned in the top line of many economic and investment proposals.
However, we still need more action and practical implementation below this in specific sector plans and projects and activities such as the Freeport, UK Shared Prosperity Fund proposals, Port Strategy and other work. We feel this is a hugely important agenda and one where we’ll keep making the case for social enterprise as an integral way to create a greener, fairer city.
Buyers Network
PSEN attended the Plymouth Buyers Network last week. This group of organizations includes Plymouth City Council, Chamber of Commerce, Federation of Small Business, Babcock, University of Plymouth and others who collectively spend hundreds of millions to deliver their work. We are trying to keep as much of that in Plymouth, where possible, to maximise the wider benefits of this spending to the city’s economy, society and environment.
At the last meeting we looked at developing the suppliers directory to help everyone find and buy from Plymouth businesses. We also explored how each organization looks at procurement. We need more organizations embedding social value in their supply chains. PSEN is asking for social value to be more strategically adopted across the wider public and private sector.
Last Friday night we had a wonderful time at the Diversity Business Incubator’s BAME Gala. See some lovely photos here. PSEN is proud to be one of the sponsors of the event. It was a fantastic celebration of diversity and entrepreneurial ideas, community work and engagement.
Held at the Plymouth Pavilions, around five hundred people gathered to recognize and reflect on how people and organizations from Black, Asian, Brown and other minority ethnic communities are making a difference. You can hear more about the event from BBC Radio here. The winners were also inspired by poignant words of support from friends, colleagues and families.
A key takeaway was the importance of being an ally to tackle racism and discrimination in all its forms by standing up in support of or in alliance with of members of another group. We give our heartfelt congratulations to all the award winners and to DBI for running such a great event.
Another year and another fabulous Social Enterprise City Festival has come and gone in Plymouth. “We should do this every week” someone said at one event, and I half agree. Showcasing community businesses, co-operatives and social enterprises in our great city doesn’t stop with the end of the festival. Neither does the need to discuss profound social, environmental and economic issues but the week is a highlight of the year and a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on Plymouth’s social enterprise scene.
The very first festival was a half-day affair at Plymouth University in 2010 where we elected the first three official members of Plymouth Social Enterprise Network: Bellmoor Co-op, Groundwork South West and Real Ideas. Sadly, Bellmoor and Groundwork no longer operate but Real Ideas goes from strength-to-strength.
This, then, was the thirteenth festival and the theme was ‘Shake it up – interesting times’. And what times we live in. As if the COVID pandemic wasn’t enough we now face a cost of living and energy crisis; warnings of dire recession; war in Ukraine; national research showing that thousands of social enterprises across the country are at risk; and the ongoing ramifications of Brexit which become increasingly apparent each day. With that rather gloomy context the festival set out to show Plymouth and the world different ways of running businesses. Ways that are greener, fairer, even kinder.
We ended up with over 20 events attended by around 500 people. The activities included a launch at the Athenaeum; a women’s networking event; and a fun social, social enterprise quiz night. The State of Us conference explored economic democracy and community power. There were focus groups on PSEN’s own approach to diversity, values and the environment; a plastics shedding bonanza; Millfields Trust’s AGM; and Plymouth Energy Community’s inspiring change gathering. We saw repairing, making and mending with The Scrapstore; listened to Hospital Radio; and brought and shared at Jarsquad’s events. Climate Clarity ran an environmental business taster and Iridescent Ideas delivered a business advice seminar. And finally, to wrap it all up, WonderZoo curated a wonderfully diverse arts, poetry, music and business event at The Plot.
As the dust floats down and settles on the streets, people and places of Plymouth, what have learned during the festival?
Well, that there are reasons to be optimistic despite the often-despairing outlook we read about, see on our screens and directly experience in our communities.
Optimistic because it was social enterprises and community groups that stepped up during COVID.
Optimistic because as we emerged from the last recession in 2009, we saw a boom in social enterprise start-ups.
Optimistic because of the work and care shown by the great social enterprises and co-ops we saw in action this week.
But this optimism has to be tempered by a need to analyse, contemplate, call out and constructively challenge the prevailing economic orthodoxy that all too often causes the poverty and structural inequalities we encounter in the city. This gets to the heart of the social enterprise and co-operative concept: that we can eclipse the status quo and build that better, more inclusive world through the work of the businesses highlighted last week.
We couldn’t achieve the festival without the help and support of a number of key organizations and people: Firstly, a massive thank you to our amazing PSEN members who ran events this year. Without you we wouldn’t have a network let alone a festival. Your tireless work, tackling social, environmental and community issues and running great businesses is exactly why Plymouth is the UK’s best Social Enterprise City.
And a huge thanks particularly to Matt Grant and Jess Holliland who led the festival sub-committee and who worked so hard to pull this all together in a short space of time. Also on the committee: shout outs for contributions from Amber Leach, Jon Blyth, Ed Whitelaw, Daffne Aguilar and Louise Manico. We are also grateful to the rest of PSEN board of directors who support the festival voluntarily every year.
Thank you to all our sponsors for the cold hard cash that helps us put on the festival:
We are indebted to all the venues, attendees and volunteers who helped at events.
Also, a special thanks and warm welcome to Amerie Rose, PSEN’s new Coordinator and Activator who dived headlong into the festival with alacrity.
Planning begins almost immediately for 2023’s festival where we will be celebrating, considering, challenging and contemplating ten years as the UK’s leading Social Enterprise City and exploring what the next ten years could hold.
New statistics show that there has been a significant increase in the number and income of social enterprises and co-operatives in Plymouth over the last three years despite the COVID pandemic and difficult prevailing economic circumstances.
Plymouth Social Enterprise Network has been gathering information on social enterprises and co-operatives in partnership with the Co-op Group over the last six months. We have found that there are now around 250 social enterprises and co-operatives in the city – up twenty five percent from 200 in 2019. The data also shows that these businesses collectively bring in an annual income of nearly £700 million – an increase of twenty percent on the 2019 figures – and they employ around 9,500 people in the city.
It seems likely that this increase has been stimulated by good business advice and significant investment from a range of sources over the last few years. This includes investment from the European Union, Rank Foundation, Power to Change, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and Plymouth City Council. Programmes like STARTSocial, Enhance Social Enterprise Scheme, POP ideas, the Rank Trade-Up programme and Power to Change’s Empowering Places project have all contributed. Alongside this sits a growing desire from entrepreneurs to start and run more ethical businesses. Our view is that, with the climate crisis continuing, enduring poverty and structural inequalities around race and gender particularly, these businesses are needed more than ever.
Jo Higson, Member Pioneer Co-ordinator Plymouth Co-op Group, said: “The Co-op Group is delighted to be part of such a vibrant and diverse social enterprise movement in Plymouth. We are proud that our shops support numerous good causes and social businesses in the city.”
The economic impact statistics only paint some of the picture. We know that social enterprises and co-operatives are far more likely to be led by woman and be paying the Real Living Wage to their employees. We’ve found that nearly 60% of social enterprises have women in leadership positions compared to around 16% of standard businesses. Also, nearly two thirds of social enterprises in Plymouth pay Living Wages compared to around 33% of standard businesses. With national research showing that social enterprises in the South West are more likely to be addressing the climate emergency, this data goes a long to show that, if you invest in social enterprise development and support, you will help build a greener and fairer economy.
Gareth Hart, PSEN Director, said: “Social enterprise and co-operative approaches to business keep growing in the city. Plymouth has been ahead of the curve for a number of years when it comes to social enterprise development and we think that it is great to see growth in businesses that put people and planet first.”
The Co-op Group is one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, owned by millions of members. They are the UK’s fifth biggest food retailer with more than 2,500 local, convenience and medium-sized stores. They employ nearly 70,000 people and are a recognized leader for their social goals and community-led programmes. The Co-op Group has its origins in the co-operative consumer societies started by the Rochdale Pioneers in 1844.
The expression ‘smart city’ is becoming popularised, even if few – if at all – really agree on what a smart city is or should be. What most people understand is that high tech, from internet and mobile apps, to sensing and automation through algorithms/AI, offers new possibilities to manage cities.
However, most if not all attention goes towards the ‘smart’ – what new tech products can do – whilst the key question of what the ‘city’ is, and should become, is overlooked. This has led some commentators to describe smart city efforts as ‘solutions’ looking for problems. The ultimate goal is not technology, but the city. And cities are different. What can be ‘smart’ in the largest world centres would make no sense in a small town.
So, what about Plymouth? It is a coastal city with big ambitions towards an inclusive model of development. It has unique strengths, a key one being its social enterprise sector, punching above weight. And it now has three universities providing a rich intellectual and creative capital.
In this short article I am highlighting three – interconnected – themes for Plymouth to work on, towards becoming smart and inclusive, improving its long-term resilience.
Holistic partnering
Large metropoles in Asia or the Global South – think of Chongqing in China, unknown to many yet already counting over thirty million inhabitants – face problems generated by rapid urbanisation and steep migratory fluxes. It can make sense for them to conceive smart innovation geared towards control and management, to cope with those pressures. Plymouth however needs to re-invent and re-vitalise itself. It can also become more externally attractive, but only through new and unique ideas.
This suggests a model of innovation known as a ‘quadruple-helix’ one, relying not just on the collaboration of industry and government, but on a strategic partnership involving research/education as well as ‘civil society’, featuring social enterprise as a key actor. Such strategic and more inclusive approach is needed to define the problems – before solutions – and creatively shape a shared approach.
Open and participated platform
Plymouth does not need the ready-made smart ‘products’ thought for Singapore or Shanghai. It needs to develop its own smart ideas in a context-driven mode, reflexive of where the city’s assets and energies are. This can be practically enabled by providing an open platform for both the sharing of vital data and the facilitated development of bespoke technological solutions.
The themes to address? It is not up to me to dictate, but relevant examples from ‘Hackable City’ literature include systems for borrowing objects and tools from nearby residents, urban agriculture-enabling platforms where vacant spaces can be offered or shared for cultivation, sustainable mobility clubs and apps (e.g. cycling etc) and repair and making shops, FabLab-like.
Let me throw in also the very local need to boost our fishing sector as well as creative ways to make the Marine Park and the sea help the city socially as well as economically. Most of this might not be new, but can become smarter, easier to use and manage, and with more citizens contributing to its success.
It is the concept of a ‘platform’ or ‘open source’ smart city, where the means – and the sharing of data – to encourage, construct and run such smart initiatives are publicly available. Social enterprise can have a pivotal role in this, in both generating initiatives and ideas, but also in participating in producing and maintaining the platform itself. This can generate local jobs, make it Plymouth-owned and, ideally with a local authority participation and overview, ensure a degree of public scrutiny, control, and being true to a shared strategy.
Recombined space
Cities are physical places. They were born out of the advantages of exploiting proximities and density to boost production, trade, culture and innovation. Digital technologies re-define place, distances, presence. They can allow different locations to functionally merge into one, as well as one location to broadcast itself and become many. We can link public spaces and communities that would not normally relate; we can generate real-time awareness of events, businesses or the ocean itself. We can make ‘portals’, collaborate, pool facilities and functions.
Think of representing food producers in Devon within a shop in Plymstock, the Devonport Markethall or the Fish Market reaching out through presence and interaction elsewhere in Plymouth, or a library providing digital books available to peripheral or countryside reading ‘pods’. Re-combining through technology can lead to innovating the way we shape and use the city. In an era of scarcity, where environmental resilience and new socially-progressive business models are increasingly pressing needs, we need to find ways to creatively boost the ways we use space.
What’s next – Partnership, Research and Development
How could Plymouth take steps towards being smart in a place-sensitive and inclusive way? The first and most important move is to start forming a steering partnership on a ‘quadruple-helix’ basis. My research experience suggests that a main entrepreneur or champion is needed to pull this together, and the social enterprise sector could well be central to this.
We also need research, to understand the issues before launching into ‘solutionism’. What are the big themes/issues Plymouth needs to face to increase resilience? How are these perceived within the city, and what does this suggest for setting priorities and lines of work? How does the social enterprise arena map against these themes? How does it physically map in the city, and how able is it to reach out and offer its benefits? How can space be used in smarter ways? Universities are good at doing this, beyond being part of the wider strategic group.
And we need development. A Plymouth open data and API (Application Programming Interface) would provide the technological platform for different actors and enterprises to build local smart projects, coherently with the civic strategy. This could be driven jointly by private social enterprise and university partners as an R&D programme. The local authority should also participate, both as a public ‘guardian’ and patron, and as an interested actor as far as planning and other activities are concerned. More could be offered of course in terms of the hardware and software to implement smart locally, and local companies/industry should be involved.
Plymouth has the ingredients to be inclusive, and shaping smart developments around these can be an important opportunity to lead on urban innovation.
Are you passionate about making the world a better place through business?
If the answer is YES then Plymouth Social Enterprise Network NEEDS YOU!
Plymouth Social Enterprise Network (PSEN) is looking for a Network Co-ordinator and Activator to help us support the growth of the social enterprise community in Plymouth.
This is a permanent, part-time, home-based position (with possibility of hot-desking or co-working), working 22.5 hours per week (which can be worked flexibly) and will be paid at £27,500 pro rata. The successful applicant will be entitled to 25 days (pro rata) annual leave and enrollment into an employers pension scheme.
We are looking for someone to organize events, develop our membership and help us become a more sustainable organization. An understanding or appreciation of social enterprise or purposeful business is desirable too.
In late 2020 we published a strategy to develop social enterprise in Plymouth. We have reviewed progress over the last year. The full review can be found here.
There is a bewildering array of policies, concepts, missions and announcements in the Levelling Up report. Is the glass half full? We welcome some of the overarching ambition around ‘levelling up’ – the core concept and the ideas around improving education, public transport and digital innovation seem sound. The idea to use £44 million – and possibly up to £880 million – of dormant assets for social enterprise development is promising.
However, in three hundred and thirty two pages we found just four references to social enterprise and none to community business or co-operatives. We think more needs to be done around driving a change in the way we do business in the UK. We’d like to see the government stress that we need all companies to put social and environmental purpose first to really level up the country.
For the social enterprise community in Plymouth to see the part of the report focussing on our region pretty much just listing previous announcements was disappointing. Devolution of powers to our area is a good idea but we are unsure of the value of a joint mayor. All that said, PSEN is keen to work with local and national partners to help our local area become more socially enterprising and more equal, with zero poverty and zero carbon emissions.
Our mission is to advocate and represent a better way of working in the region, supporting social enterprises in all their forms, be they Community Interest Companies, Community Businesses, Cooperatives or trading charities. We know that, collectively, the social enterprise community can achieve meaningful change and improvement for Plymouth and the surrounding area. The Levelling Up report is an important context for that.
BUT we also do a lot of work in the ‘background’ and we think this is no less impactful – it is long-term and about advocating for social enterprise and building an ecosystem for a better future. So we wanted to say a little bit more about this representation, strategic, policy and advocacy work and what impact it has had, is having and will have for our members and Plymouth’s economy more broadly. We think this is important strategic work for our city and our social enterprises. If you want to find out more please get in touch. See below or click here for a summary: PSEN Impact
Activity
Impact
Representation on Resurgam Plymouth plans especially on inclusive economy, Resurgam Charter, Plymouth Growth Board and at Spend4Plymouth strategic planning with Plymouth City Council (PCC)
· Inclusive economics embedded in local strategies
· Social Value in procurement enhanced – leads to more opportunities for Plymouth’s social enterprises
· More awareness of Plymouth’s social enterprise sector
Advocacy for social enterprise specific business advice with partners such as PCC, HOTSW LEP, Devon County Council.
· Business advice programme via PCC for start-up social enterprises secured
· Groundwork laid for social enterprise advice in Shared Prosperity Fund in 2022
Advocacy with funders and investors such as Rank Foundation, Power to Change, Community Renewal Fund, Community Ownership Fund, Shared Prosperity Fund, Resonance, PCC and via the Plymouth Partners and Funders Forum
· More investment in Plymouth social enterprises = over £8.5 million over eight years
· Rank Foundation announced a three-year investment worth over £1 million for Plymouth’s social enterprises.
· Issues relating to social investment raised will lead to better deals in future
· Plymouth projects in pipeline for national funding
Representation at Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership (HOTSW LEP) Inclusive Growth Panel
· Inclusive economics embedded in strategies
· Greater awareness of Plymouth’s social enterprise sector regionally
Partnership with Social Enterprise UK especially around Community Entrepreneurship Zones (CEZ), Social Enterprise Places. Speaking at All Party Parliamentary Group on Social Enterprise and supporting SEUK with their research and policy work
· Plymouth a case study in CEZ proposal to national government – potential for us to be a zone and attract more support and investment
· More awareness of Plymouth’s social enterprise sector nationally
Advocacy and partnerships with University of Plymouth, Marjon, City College Plymouth and Plymouth College of Art on issues such as civic university, virtual internships, knowledge exchange programme and on student experiences/teaching and other events
· Internships delivered for Plymouth social enterprises
· Social enterprise concepts more embedded in University of Plymouth courses
· Opportunities for Plymouth social enterprises through City College European programme
· More awareness of Plymouth’s social enterprise sector
Responding to consultations/strategies such as PCC’s environment plans, Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR), Plymouth Culture Plan, PCC economic policy and strategy, HOTSW LEP Industrial Strategy and via Social Investment Commission
· SITR extended in national budget
· Social enterprise flagged in Plymouth Culture Plan as opportunity for future
· Social enterprise concepts and inclusive growth embedded in local and regional strategies
· Issues relating to social investment raised will lead to better deals in future
Ongoing work with local partners such as with POP on SIMPL project, with RIO on State of Us events, information sharing with Chamber of Commerce/FSB and others, EU application with City College
· Social enterprise concepts embedded in events
· Better partnerships leads to more opportunities for Plymouth’s social enterprises
· More awareness of Plymouth’s social enterprise sector
· EU funding secured – project will provide opportunities for social enterprises in Plymouth
Attendance and speaking at international social enterprise events such as Social Enterprise World Forum, Estonia national event and ongoing contact and work with SEUK and British Council
· More awareness of Plymouth’s social enterprise sector internationally
· Keeps spotlight on Plymouth and will provide opportunities for social enterprises in future
Gareth Hart, Director of PSEN, reflects on another week of social enterprise events and several ‘firsts’
“Well delivered, practical, really helpful, brought clarity to my thinking, directly relevant to my job. Great timing!” Festival attendee
Two weeks ago, we held annual Plymouth Social Enterprise City Festival. It was our eleventh event and for the first time it was held entirely online. Now that the dust has settled after a hectic week, I wanted to reflect on the event this year.
The week is part of Global Entrepreneurship Week and across the world this is a chance for social enterprises to raise the profile of their work but also to reflect on what kind of economy, society and businesses do we want.
We hosted twenty-two events covering issues from health and the economy; proving, sharing and writing about your impact; working with young people; making a difference to your community; working digitally; engaging with schools and much more! There was even a social enterprise tropical bingo night hosted by Nudge Community Builders – surely a WORLD FIRST!
We were as ever blown away by the time and energy PSEN’s members put in to helping us curate this celebration of all things social enterprise in the city. We are already looking forward to 2021’s festival. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do more face-to-face events, although digital delivery has certainly increased our reach and encouraged a different type of access. Also huge thanks to all our sponsors and supporters this year. Without you we couldn’t put this on.
The feedback from the festival has been very positive too. No-one said that the online format stopped them attending and 65% of people liked or even preferred the virtual delivery of events. 100% of attendees said that the festival was a good thing for Plymouth’s business community. Suggestions for the future included advertising more and earlier, sharing with students and graduates and seeking more national and international speakers. Quotes included:
“Shows the diversity and encourages a supportive network.”
“It is a great way to celebrate, highlight and illuminate Plymouth’s social enterprise scene”
“It was so powerful hearing about how other people are in similar positions to me and feel the same way.”
A bit of history
We held the first festival in 2010 – a small event in Plymouth University – where we elected the first members of PSEN. I’ve attended all of them. The Social Enterprise City festival has its origins in work undertaken in 2009/10 to look at whether there was a need for a social enterprise network in Plymouth. This research suggested there was a need for such a network. One of the early activities was to celebrate what was already going on in the sector as, at that time, there was very low awareness of social enterprise in the city. Over the years the event has grown from half a day to a day to week to two weeks and gone back to a week.
In 2012, I wrote a piece for the Guardian on why we were running the festival. I recently re-read this and found a lot of what I said then – as we were emerging from the 2008/9 financial crash – resonates now.
I said: “A key aim for us is to push social enterprise into the spotlight and make it central to the way the city does business. I think we need to make sure that social enterprise is understood by a wider range of people and captures the general public’s imagination. We want it to be the model of choice when setting up a business. There is more awareness than ever of the need for new economic concepts, fresh ideas and a fundamental shift in the way we do business. This is high on the political, economic and academic agenda. If we do not radically rethink our business models we will continue to recreate the same problems in the future. We want this festival to show that social enterprise can be the solution to the current economic and environmental crisis. That we can generate wealth sustainably, create meaningful and well-paid jobs and tackle some of society’s most intractable problems.”
The recent Covid-19 crisis has shown us that many of the same issues exist and we still need to re-think our economy to ensure we tackle all these issues more effectively. This is what the festival showed us: that that a better way of doing business is not a work of fiction. It is real; right here and now and it is growing. We need to continue that trajectory. We look forward to another decade of social enterprise festivals.
Some more quotes from attendees:
“Lots of interesting discussion and good attendance. Lots of questions and great panel.”
“It was so productive and useful! I’m going to wave my draft impact report at a lot of other organisations!”
“Engaging and great sense of community, well facilitated creating a safe space for sharing.”
“Great to hear about what is happening on the cutting edge from a well connected speaker.”
“The festival renewed enthusiasm after lots of time stuck at home, connected with other social entrepreneurs.”
“I have got a much better understanding of what social enterprise is.”
“Made me feel connected, motivated again and inspired. Thank you :)”
Plymouth Social Enterprise Network (PSEN) believes that developing social enterprises is a fundamental way to help Plymouth become a better city to live and work in. Indeed, we feel confident in saying that Plymouth is already a better city because of the great work of our social enterprises, co-operatives and community businesses.
The social economy is leading the way in showing how businesses can create value for communities, individuals and in the protection of our natural world. Many of the social enterprises doing this in Plymouth are highlighted in the strategy.
But we think we can go further. We face serious social, economic and environmental problems in Plymouth and the wider world. These have been brought into sharp focus by the Covid-19 crisis. We must learn from these challenges and build back better. Simply put we need a greener, fairer economy.
We recognise that the current emergencies we are facing – such as climate crisis, inequality, poor mental health, racism and enduring poverty – are symptoms of the way that we organise our world and, particularly, our economy. The Covid-19 pandemic has shown us that we need to re-think our economy to ensure we tackle all these issues more effectively. This includes re-imagining the role that businesses play in our economy and society.
We want to see a city where:
Businesses are good for people and planet
People with good ideas are supported to put them into practice
Business ownership and wealth and power is widely shared
Social enterprise is central to the way we do business
There are a variety of social enterprise models such as co-ops, community businesses, Community Interest Companies and more
Social enterprise is understood and people think of it as the model of choice when setting up a business
Social enterprises have access to the very best business advice and investment.
Our strategy sets out a wide ranging and bold five-year vision for social enterprise in Plymouth. And for us social enterprise means co-operatives, community businesses, trading charities, community interest companies and more. If, as a city, we deliver on this strategy we think we can go a long way to delivering the vision above.
Our strategy is developed on strong foundations. In 2013 Plymouth became the UK’s first Social Enterprise City. That award – from Social Enterprise UK – recognised the scope, depth and activities of the social enterprise community in the city. The Social Enterprise City ‘badge’ has led to investment and business advice schemes; it has raised awareness of this type of business and has helped social enterprise become better understood and respected in Plymouth. But there is much more to do.
Social enterprises need great business advice, increased access to finance and markets and courageous institutional policies that enable and support. We need to stimulate start-ups, raise awareness with the general public and work in schools to inspire young minds and show that social enterprise is the past, present and future. We need to build a movement for social change through business.
The strategy builds on research we conducted with social enterprises in Plymouth in 2019 and 2020. It has been developed in partnership with a range of partners in the public and private sector and with social enterprises themselves.
Over the previous five years social enterprise has grown in our city. There are more of them. They employ more people. They work in the most disadvantaged areas of Plymouth and bring in more, much needed income to the city’s communities. But going beyond that; the last five years has shown that a better way of doing business is not a work of fiction. It is real; right here and now and it is growing. We need to continue that trajectory for the next five years.
PSEN cannot do this alone. We already work in partnership with the organizations named in the strategy and we need them and others to be bold and ambitious in creating a better world.
So, join us. Help us deliver this work and this vision over the next five years. We believe we can, collectively, create a prosperous economy for all that tackles deep-rooted social and environmental problems.
Last week we attended three important meetings and promoted Plymouth’s social enterprises.
The first was Plymouth Resurgam Growth Board. At this meeting we heard from Public Health about the latest on Covid-19 in the city and how plans to build back better with a greener and fairer economy are progressing. We presented the new strategy for social enterprise in the city. The strategy was well received and the board was particularly interested in the social value and supply chain elements of the strategy.
We then attended the national SEUK Social Enterprise Futures conference and took part in important debates about government policy and the future of social enterprise. There were great speeches from:
Paul Polman (ex-Unilever CEO) who said: “Social enterprises shouldn’t just be at the table, they should OWN the table!”
Kate Raworth (Doughnut Economics) who talked about the need for businesses to have more “living purpose, going beyond themselves”and the importance of ownership and finance.
Gordon Brown (ex-PM!) who said: ”There is no route the future that does not have social enterprise at its centre”.
June O’Sullivan (CEO, London Early Years Foundation) who wanted to see a: “high street of social enterprises”.
Finally, we took part in the Spend4Plymouth round table meeting – exploring how we can get Plymothians to spend more with Plymouth’s business and particularly our great social enterprises. This work ties in with elements of the social enterprise strategy for Plymouth.
Plymouth Social Enterprise Network (PSEN) has today launched a Social Enterprise Strategy – a five-year plan to boost Plymouth’s social enterprises and help create a greener, fairer economy. The plan also aims to retain and build on Plymouth’s reputation as the UK’s leading social enterprise city.
PSEN Board Member, Gareth Hart, said: “We want to build upon our achievements so far, develop these and go into whole new areas such as technology and digital. Social enterprise seems to answer many of the questions being raised as people look towards a post-Covid society.
“This strategy is full of examples of Plymouth’s great social enterprises and shows how businesses can create value for communities and individuals, making our city and the wider world a better place to live and work in.”
The five priorities highlighted in the strategy are based on two years of consultation and development and are underpinned by the belief that a prosperous economy can also support a community, tackling deep-rooted social and environmental problems.
Plymouth became one of the UK’s first Social Enterprise Cities in 2013, recognizing the scope, depth, and activities of the social enterprise community in the city. Since then, there has been a significant international interest with people from Sweden, South Africa, Jamaica, Italy and others visiting Plymouth to find out more about our success. The five year plan will help to ensure that the city retains its place as the UK’s leading social enterprise city.
Gareth continued: “Social enterprise has become better understood and respected in Plymouth, but there is more to do. Social enterprises need more support, the general public need to be made more aware of what they can achieve and young people need to be inspired if we want a more compassionate, fairer, more diverse and more environmentally sustainable society.”
The strategy priorities include boosting business advice and access to finance for social enterprise; stimulating social entrepreneurship and start-ups; building more markets for social enterprises and developing more policy and advocacy work to promote social enterprise. The priorities will be reviewed regularly by PSEN and their partners to assess emerging themes and to make sure the strategy is still addressing the needs of local social enterprise.
The strategy will be launched on Monday 16th November as part of Plymouth’s Social Enterprise City Festival, which consists of over 20 online and in person events on the theme of ‘Educating the Economy.’
COVID-19 is showing us that a health issue can not only devastate the lives of those directly in the path of the virus, but can also close shops and high streets, force hundreds of thousands of businesses to struggle and place millions on furlough or out of work. Never has the fundamental link between health and the economy been more clearly underlined.
Yet there is little in the way of joined up public health and economic policy for the Government to draw on going forward. The economy is steered by policies such as Rishi Sunak’s Winter Economy Plan – which barely mentions health – and the UK’s industrial strategy, published in 2017, which has scant references to the importance of health as a component of the economy.
At a local level, opportunities to link health and the economy – to ensure a healthy, productive workforce – are being missed. Devon and Somerset’s Productivity Plan rarely discusses the health of the workforce, yet the local Clinical Commissioning Groups are co-signatories to the green paper behind this strategy. In comparison, Greater Manchester’s Local Industrial Strategy makes ‘population health’ an explicit aim and cites health over two hundred times.
Does this matter? You could see COVID-19 as an unusual event and argue it is not necessary to go to the lengths of rethinking the relationship between public health and the economy – we can simply develop a vaccine or learn to live with the virus and continue with our lives.
Well it matters because, where health and economic policy are joined up, the social and economic benefits are huge. For instance, mental health hugely affects productivity – how efficiently a business can create a profit. The Centre for Mental Health estimates that poor mental health in the UK workforce costs businesses almost £35 billion a year with an annual cost to the whole UK economy of nearly £100 billion a year. By far the largest share of this is not sick pay, but through employees who are at work but unwell and under-performing – this is known as ‘presenteeism’.
We could take Manchester’s lead and focus more on health and the economy. Mental health provision there is being pioneered as part of employment support. Imagine being unable to work effectively because of mental ill health but knowing that your employer and local authority understands and can offer tailored support.
There are wider economic issues which affect health. These include being in work or not, wage levels, contracts terms and conditions, lack of or low sick pay and other entitlements.
So how could we begin to tackle health and the economy? Government could incentivize health in the workforce through tax reliefs and also legislate to make employment law more health conscious. Local and national authorities could also unleash the power of the billions of pounds of public money they spend by insisting that firms they contract with adopt work-place wellbeing measures.
Employers could pay all staff a proper living wage as a minimum; ending in-work poverty and the ill-effects of inadequate housing and poor nutrition. Employers can aim to offer decent jobs with a sense of purpose and fulfilment, they can reduce zero-hours contracts and improve sick pay. These things are known to protect mental health and wellbeing. Businesses could develop more responsibility with a purpose to tackle social and environmental issues and do so with innovation and creativity.
Sound far-fetched? Well these businesses exist. They are called social enterprises – famous examples include The Eden Project and The Big Issue. These businesses thrive and trade ensuring that the health and wellbeing of their staff and their communities is part of their work. Their ethos is one where the health of everyone is as important as making a profit. Recent research in Plymouth shows that 94% of social enterprises there offer support around health and wellbeing for their staff.
COVID-19 has shown us that things need to change and that health and economic thinking need to become more connected. Social enterprises are twenty years down the track with this and the rest of the world needs to catch up. We need to build back better and understand more deeply that without health there is no economy.
By Lucy Blackley and Gareth Hart, Directors of Iridescent Ideas CIC
PSEN has published this plan to help us both respond to the immediate Coronavirus/Covid-19 crisis but also look forward to the recovery phase.
Our simple vision is that our members, social enterprises and indeed all businesses and community groups in the city emerge in a healthy position.
We know that this will be hard. We have had contact with a number of social enterprises that are struggling and some that have closed for the moment. We hope these re-open and recover in due course. We are also hearing of social enterprises that have moved online with relative ease and those that are providing a range of innovative services like Livewell Southwest, Nudge and Real Ideas Organisation.
Response
Some of our key aims during this response phase are to:
Facilitate the exchange of advice and business support for our members. We have our own resources here and we have worked with Plymouth City Council and Plymouth Octopus Project to create a dedicated page of information on the Council’s website.
Gather information about the impact of Coronavirus/Covid-19 on our members and advocate for their needs to relevant organizations such as national and local government
Work with and support SEUK and other social enterprise places on the national response. More information on that here.
More specifically, we have been proactively phoning our members to check in with them. We’ve not called everyone yet so if we’ve not spoken to you let us know. We’ve put our events schedule online. We’ve already held events on using Zoom and on HR advice for social enterprises. Another event lined up is on PR and digital marketing. Other events will be published soon.
We’ve also created a pool of business experts who can provide free business advice on topics such as: tech, Crowdfunding, PR, governance, investment, social impact, finance, team management. communications and more.
We are regularly updating our social media and news feeds with up to date sector news and information too.
Recovery
We want a more pro-social, more inclusive and regenerative economy to emerge post-crisis. Social enterprises need to be at the heart of the recovery and embedded in economic and heath policy making. Without social enterprises a future economy that goes back to ‘business as usual’ will only compound inequalities and make recovery harder. We need a healthy workforce with decent, productive jobs that enhances, not damages, the environment. Social enterprises are delivering this as our recently published research proves.
We are in the early stages of developing the ‘recovery’ phase but our early ideas are to:
Bring members together to collaboratively inform how we work together as a sector
Advocate for a more pro-social, inclusive and regenerative economy through online events, blogs and content
Work in solidarity with other social enterprise networks across the region and the country
Advocate for social enterprises to be supported and firmly embedded in the recovery with economic policy makers such as Local Enterprise Partnership, City Council, Plymouth Growth Board, University of Plymouth and relevant others.
Please get in touch with us about your immediate needs and ideas for the future recovery.
Plymouth Social Enterprise Network has published research on the state of social enterprise in our great city. You can read a summary here and the full version here.
Now, six years later, this report shows how that city badge and that investment has helped develop social enterprises in Plymouth. There are more of them. They employ more people. They work in the most disadvantaged areas and bring in more, much needed, income to the city’s communities.
This research shows that, as we rebuild our economy post Coronavirus/Covid-19, social enterprises need to be at the heart of the recovery and embedded in economic and heath policy making. Without social enterprises a future economy that goes back to ‘business as usual’ will only compound inequalities and make recovery harder. We need a healthy workforce with decent, productive jobs that enhances, not damages, the environment. Social enterprises are delivering this as the research proves.
There are some eye-opening findings, clues to the future economy we want and also some business needs for social enterprises that we need to address. For example, did you know that:
Two of the five largest employers in Plymouth are social enterprises
The social enterprise community has grown by 33% from 150 to around 200 businesses over the last six years
Social enterprises employ over 9,000 people and spend nearly £600 million a year in our city’s economy
Over half of leaders in social enterprises are women
Nearly two thirds of our social enterprises pay the Real Living Wage to staff compared to a third of FTSE100 companies
Nearly all our social enterprises offer support around employee well-being in the work-place
But more than just the statistics: this research shows us that a better way of doing business is not a work of fiction. It is real; right here and now in our great city. And it is growing.
We face serious social, economic and environmental problems in Plymouth and the wider world. Post Coronavirus/Covid-19 these problems will be in even more sharp focus. People and planet are not distinct from the economy, they are the economy. This report illustrates that social enterprises in all their forms, be they co-operatives, community businesses, community interest companies, trading charities and more, are creating a more compassionate, fairer, more diverse and more environmentally sustainable society through their work.
Thank you to all who contributed to this report: the researchers and writers, Transform Research Consulting. The funders, Power to Change. And to the social enterprises, members of Plymouth Social Enterprise Network, and others who took part and who demonstrate that you are making the city a better place though your fabulous work.
Let us press for ever more business with good cause in Plymouth in the coming years.
Happy New Year. I hope you had a great festive break. We are looking forward to an action packed 2020.We have lots of events, activities and announcements to make. All in good time. I wanted to briefly reflect on the last ten years at PSEN and, WOW, what a decade!
Social enterprise in Plymouth – in all its forms of co-operatives, community businesses, trading charities, community interest companies, etc – has advanced so much, in large part due to the dedication of people like you, our members and our partners like Plymouth City Council, POP+, Dartington SSE, Social Enterprise UK, Social Enterprise Mark, The Chamber of Commerce and the LEP to name but a few. What a collective of brilliant people and organizations. I think its fair to say Plymouth Social Enterprise Network has played a key role too.
I’m proud of what we’ve collectively achieved as a city since PSEN started in 2010:
1. First UK Social Enterprise City (first in world maybe!)
2. The UK’s best week-long social enterprise festival
3. A leading social enterprise place which people across the world look to (folk from Sweden, Italy, South Africa, The Netherlands, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, Greece, Jamaica, Finland, Poland have all been here to find out more)
4. A seat on the Plymouth Growth Board – helping to keep social enterprise at the heart of economic policy making
5. The City Council’s pioneering Social Enterprise Investment Fund and Co-operative Development Fund.
6. Power to Change and Rank Foundation investment and support
7. School for Social Entrepreneurs running multiple programmes here
8. Specialist expert social enterprise business advice programmes secured
9. Climate emergency declared
10. Developing the inclusive economy work
11. Influencing policies for social value in procurement
12. Three universities inspired to embrace social enterprise as a model
13. One of the largest health and social care providers (Livewell) in the UK started here
These are just some of the highlights, I’ve probably missed many more. Thanks to all who have served on the PSEN board over the years to help achieve this.
Where will the next decade take us? We want social enterprise to be central to the way we do business in Plymouth; a leading place for social enterprise start-up and development; a place where social enterprise is thought of as a model of choice for new entrepreneurs. We are building on good foundations but there is much more to do. Our pressing issue is to develop a new social enterprise strategy for the city. Work on this is well underway and will build on the research into social enterprise in Plymouth conducted last year. We can only achieve all this with the support of our fabulous members. A network is nothing otherwise. Please join us if you haven’t already. I look forward to hearing from you.
There are two problems at the heart of Britain’s economy: that of driving fair, sustainable growth and that of boosting productivity. The focus has been, for too long, on the latter. We need a shift to investing in, buying from and supporting social enterprises.
We need an economy where businesses create decent work and the where the dividends of growth and prosperity are more equally shared. Check out your history books at the pages on Russia and France: if the rich get richer and the poor get poorer we can head, ultimately, into violent revolution.
The proceeds of growth are, too often, not shared fairly and this leaves many workers dispirited. Too many businesses are focused on minimising their tax bill, rather than contributing a fair share to fund public services. The largest social enterprises and co-operatives in the UK pay more in tax than Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Ebay and Starbucks combined.
Our local economic policy is fixated on productivity. It is a thorny problem: it takes us five days to produce something that Germans do in four. The reasons for this are vexed and no-one seems to be able to put their finger on what might be the problem and how to solve it.
We need a radical shift in the way we think about business and a move to a more socially enterprising economy. This is golden opportunity for the region to create productive, inclusive prosperity. Social enterprises not only create jobs and wealth, they do so more fairly and more innovatively than standard businesses and they also tackle social and environmental problems at the same time.
So, what are social enterprises? Simply put a social enterprise is a business with a good cause at its heart that dedicates its work and its profits towards achieving this good cause. My nine-year-old daughter described them as ‘businesses that help people’ which I thought pretty much nailed it. Nationally famous social enterprises include The Big Issue and Divine Chocolate. But did you know that there are social enterprise banks, book shops and bakeries? There are sport shops, florists, pharmaceutical companies and toilet paper makers. There are also gin, wine, whisky and beer producing social enterprises! Pretty much all sectors of the economy have a social enterprise in them somewhere. Although maybe not in the arms and tobacco industries.
Social enterprises can take many forms. They can be co-operatives, community businesses, trading charities, community interest companies or a myriad of other hybrid ethical structures. This can cause problems of definition but all are united by a common feature: that of using business to tackle social or environmental problems.
Here in the South West we are blessed with some world leading social enterprises. We have The Eden Project and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Restaurant in Cornwall. The University of Plymouth was the world’s first accredited social enterprise university and Plymouth was the UK’s first ‘Social Enterprise City’ – a virtual brand that has led to over £6 million of investment into the city in the last three years. Livewell Southwest operates across large parts of Devon and is one of the largest health and social care social enterprises in the UK. Plymouth Energy Community, which raised over £3 million to put solar panels on schools and Plymouth’s Life Centre, has revolutionised the way we look at local energy generation, investment and community ownership.
Across Devon and Somerset there are well over a thousand social enterprises. Their combined turnover is £1.5 billion per year and they employ close to 33,000 people. That’s big – and small – business but, despite being a significant part of the economy that is better for all of us, it is still marginal in government policy making.
So back to why investing in social enterprise is an answer to solving the knotty problem of a fairer economy. Here are some killer facts. Social enterprises are more likely to innovate and are more profitable than standard businesses. Social enterprises are more likely to be led by women. They are starting up at a faster rate and are operating in the most disadvantaged parts of the region: where we most need businesses to work to create productive growth. Critically, social enterprises are also much more likely to pay more fairly: over three quarters of social enterprises report paying the living wage to their employees.
Social enterprise shows us that we can create a vision of a better world driven by business. And this is a pro-business and an unashamedly ‘for profit’ agenda. The more profit we make the more good things we can do with it.
It is social enterprises that are building the inclusive, prosperous, productive economy we need to rejuvenate our high streets, treat workers and pay women fairly and tackle deep rooted social and environmental issues.
Business can make us noble or be a tool for oppression and control. Increasing unfairness can lead to deep societal problems. We need to enhance and protect our environment whilst creating decent jobs. I think social enterprises can create solutions and offer an alternative, compelling vision. One based on business.
PSEN attended the Social Enterprise World Forum in Edinburgh last week. What an event! We’ll provide a fuller report of our experience and how the conference applies to Plymouth’s social enterprises at our network meeting on 25th September. A quick summary:
It was a fantastic, energising and stimulating week. Attended by over 1,400 people from nearly 50 different countries the event was a huge celebration of social enterprise alongside lots of politics, debate and discussion on many themes. It was chance to re-connect with old friends and make new ones. There was even some dancing at a Scottish ceilidh (less said about the attempts at this the better!)
We were able to share the work of many of our social enterprises in various events. We went to the launch of Callander as Scotland’s first social enterprise place. We also attended events on building strong networks; tech for good; marketing social enterprises; procurement and supply chain; the UN Sustainable Development Goals and more. Some salient points were:
1. There was an expressed need for more digital social enterprise businesses.
2. We need to create a compelling vision of a better future – one where social enterprise is the ‘norm’.
3. We need to engage with wider audiences (creatives, corporates, small businesses, public sector, schools, general population, etc) – we can’t just talk to ourselves.
4. The importance of political support – Scotland’s ministers seemed to really ‘get’ social enterprise and see it as integral to their economic strategies. This has led to investment and the development of a good ecosystem of support.
5. Getting large businesses to spend more with social enterprises – this will increase impact rather than putting money into CSR initiatives.
6. That social enterprise ‘structure’ and the ability to be held to account were seen as marginally more important than ‘impact’.
The most powerful moment was a brilliant talk by Bruktawit Tigabu of Whiz Kids in Ethiopia. The country struggles with low literacy and Bruktawit said that two thirds of young girls in the country think that domestic violence can be justified. A shocking statistic that illustrates why her work is so desperately needed. Ethiopia will host the 2019 Social Enterprise World Forum.
There was also a great talk by Lord Victor Adebowale, Chair of SEUK. He reminded us that as a sector we need to be more joined up. We need to make alliances in the social economy and with the private sector.
The SEWF reminded us that if we want to create a better future we need to lead or the future will be created for us. Social enterprises employ more women, people from Black and Minority Ethnic communities, young people. Social enterprises work in areas that need economic development. Social enterprises pay more fairly. We should be unashamed of this and we need to BE business. Not charity but business.
We need to talk about anarchism.Once you get past the often misleading, negative, bomb-chucking stereotypes of the proceeding centuries, many of the ideas contained within the, by definition, very broad church of anarchist thought are quite sensible. Indeed, in many cases emphasizing balance and moderation. They also have the potential to provide at least part of the answer to society’s infinitely complex growing list of challenges, from political disenfranchisement to growing inequalities, aging populations, environmental degradation and shrinking public services.
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